Le Fanu
Don´t know if this is the right place, but...
Ive just made the most amazing discovery I had to share. Ive been living in Lisbon for years and just discovered, quite by chance that the main square - which I pass through often - was constructed in the 18th Century using the structure of the tarot. I came across this description about the square in a tourist guide, which I have translated below.
The square is called "Terreiro do Paço", built in the latter half of the 18th Century,and can be seen here:
here is a historic engraving of the square. Third picture scrolling down
here is a photo taken recently of the back part of the square,
R. - O Livro de Tarot é, como se sabe, constituído por 78 cartas ou lâminas, pertencendo as primeiras 22 lâminas aos Arcanos Maiores, ou Esotéricos, e as restantes 56 aos chamados Arcanos Menores, ou Exotéricos. Existe uma intencionalidade na própria arcaria do Terreiro do Paço ultrapassando, sem dúvida, a sua função estrutural da sua arquitectura. Os edifícios laterais contêm 28 arcos cada um, cuja soma total é de 56 arcos, ou Arcanos Menores. Na fachada principal, entre as Ruas do Ouro e da Prata, contamos, por outro lado, 22 arcos, 11 em cada direcção, a partir da Rua Augusta. Ora 22 arcos correspondem, exactamente, ao número dos 22 Arcanos Maiores ou Iniciáticos. Se aplicarmos a cada arco o arcano que lhe corresponde, possuímos a chave interpretativa de um ciclo completo de manifestação: relativamente aos 56 arcos, a manifestação profana, e quanto aos 22 arcos frontais, entre as Rua do Ouro e da Prata, a realização oculta.
The Tarot, as is well-known, consists of 78 cards; 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. There was an intention behind the construction of the arches on the "Terreiro do Paço" to incorporate these numbers which goes quite beyond a purely structural, architectural principle. The buildings at each side of the square contain 28 arches each; totalling 56, which correspond to the number of the Minor Arcana. In addition, along the main façade, between the Rua ("street") do Ouro and the Rua da Prata there are 22 arches, 11 on each side starting from the Rua Augusta (can be seen in ths 2nd photo I posted). These 22 arches corrrespond exactly to the Major Arcana. If we apply an Arcana to each arch we have the complete cycle.
Bizarre...
Any idea what it feels like to know a city like the back of your hand and then discover something like this? I wonder if Aleister Crowley knew. He visited Lisbon and stayed in a hotel which has a bar I sometimes visit...
Ive just made the most amazing discovery I had to share. Ive been living in Lisbon for years and just discovered, quite by chance that the main square - which I pass through often - was constructed in the 18th Century using the structure of the tarot. I came across this description about the square in a tourist guide, which I have translated below.
The square is called "Terreiro do Paço", built in the latter half of the 18th Century,and can be seen here:
here is a historic engraving of the square. Third picture scrolling down
here is a photo taken recently of the back part of the square,
R. - O Livro de Tarot é, como se sabe, constituído por 78 cartas ou lâminas, pertencendo as primeiras 22 lâminas aos Arcanos Maiores, ou Esotéricos, e as restantes 56 aos chamados Arcanos Menores, ou Exotéricos. Existe uma intencionalidade na própria arcaria do Terreiro do Paço ultrapassando, sem dúvida, a sua função estrutural da sua arquitectura. Os edifícios laterais contêm 28 arcos cada um, cuja soma total é de 56 arcos, ou Arcanos Menores. Na fachada principal, entre as Ruas do Ouro e da Prata, contamos, por outro lado, 22 arcos, 11 em cada direcção, a partir da Rua Augusta. Ora 22 arcos correspondem, exactamente, ao número dos 22 Arcanos Maiores ou Iniciáticos. Se aplicarmos a cada arco o arcano que lhe corresponde, possuímos a chave interpretativa de um ciclo completo de manifestação: relativamente aos 56 arcos, a manifestação profana, e quanto aos 22 arcos frontais, entre as Rua do Ouro e da Prata, a realização oculta.
The Tarot, as is well-known, consists of 78 cards; 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. There was an intention behind the construction of the arches on the "Terreiro do Paço" to incorporate these numbers which goes quite beyond a purely structural, architectural principle. The buildings at each side of the square contain 28 arches each; totalling 56, which correspond to the number of the Minor Arcana. In addition, along the main façade, between the Rua ("street") do Ouro and the Rua da Prata there are 22 arches, 11 on each side starting from the Rua Augusta (can be seen in ths 2nd photo I posted). These 22 arches corrrespond exactly to the Major Arcana. If we apply an Arcana to each arch we have the complete cycle.
Bizarre...
Any idea what it feels like to know a city like the back of your hand and then discover something like this? I wonder if Aleister Crowley knew. He visited Lisbon and stayed in a hotel which has a bar I sometimes visit...
